Advocacy officer jobs

The National Youth Agency is looking for a Youth Voice and Influence Officer

Youth Voice and Influence Officer
Contract: Fixed term until 30th April 2027
Hours: Full-time - 37 hours per week
Salary: £36,050 (dependent on experience and qualifications)
Location: Home-based in England with occasional travel for meetings, workshops, and team activities. Head Office is in Leicester.

What we do

As the national body for youth work, the NYA has a dual function. We are the professional statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) responsible for qualifications, quality standards, and safeguarding for youth work and services in England. In line with our charity mission and aims, we also champion youth work through research, advocacy, campaigns, and programmes.

We work in partnership and believe in collaborative leadership, listening to youth workers and the youth work sector so that we can understand their needs and respond to the challenges they face. We are ambitious for youth work and for young people and integrate youth voice and influence across our work

About the Role

We are looking for a Youth Voice and Influence Officer to support the delivery of high-quality, inclusive Youth Voice & Influence (YV&I) initiatives across the NYA, ensuring that young people are meaningfully involved in shaping programmes, influencing decisions, and leading their own advocacy. The YV&I Officer will engage directly with young people and stakeholders, lead on smaller projects and/or individual programme work strands, support internal teams, and contribute to achieving the NYA’s mission of empowering young voices.

This vacancy will have a primary focus on delivering the UK Youth Parliament programme and flexibility to respond to organisational need.

Key Responsibilities

As a Youth Voice and Influence Officer, you will:

1. Deliver Against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Work with your line manager to define clear KPIs that align with NYA's strategic goals.
• Consistently deliver activities to a high standard within agreed timelines.
• Monitor and report on progress against KPIs, identifying challenges and proposing solutions.
• Support the evaluation of youth engagement programmes to promote continuous improvement.

2. Youth Voice Engagement and Delivery

• Lead and support the delivery of Youth Voice & Influence activities and events.
• Actively engage young people in shaping programmes, campaigns, and decisions.
• Facilitate inclusive, youth-led events, workshops, and forums.
• Ensure accessibility and inclusivity, especially for marginalised or underrepresented groups.

3. Flexibility and Support Across NYA Teams

• Provide flexible support across NYA teams to embed youth voice across organisational activities.
• Collaborate with colleagues to integrate youth input into wider initiatives.
• Share youth engagement expertise with other departments.
• Offer capacity where needed to maintain a consistent youth voice focus.

4. Building Relationships with Young People and Stakeholders

• Develop and maintain trusted relationships with young people and partner organisations.
• Provide support, guidance, and opportunities for young people to participate confidently.
• Foster inclusive and respectful environments for youth engagement.
• Collaborate with external stakeholders to increase youth influence on decisions.

5. Collaboration and Teamwork

• Work alongside other YV&I practitioners and teams to ensure consistency in YV&I work.
• Share best practices and contribute to a collaborative learning culture.
• Provide feedback from young people to shape new initiatives, campaigns, or policies.
• Engage in team meetings and professional development activities.

6. Monitoring, Reporting, and Feedback

• Maintain accurate records of YV&I activities, feedback, and outcomes.
• Assist with collecting and analysing data to evaluate programme impact.
• Contribute to internal and external reporting, presentations, and updates.

7. Supporting NYA’s Strategic Goals

• Align all YV&I work with NYA’s strategic vision of youth empowerment.
• Stay informed of youth sector trends and policy developments.

Why Work for NYA?

• NYA operates as a people-focused organisation, prioritising the well-being and needs of its employees.
• NYA offers an exceptional flexible working approach which encourages our team to balance professional responsibilities with their personal life.
• A remote based team, spread across England, fostering inclusivity and diverse talent. Despite geographical distances between team members, NYA maintains a highly motivated and connected team through the optimisation of digital tools.
• NYA is committed to supporting the continual personal and professional development of our team and helping them achieve their ambitions.
• We provide 25 days leave plus 8 days, life assurance scheme, 5% employer pension contribution and a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme via Spectrum.life with unlimited specialist support available to all NYA employees.

Closing date: 23:59 Friday 14th June 2026
Please note: we reserve the right to close this vacancy early)
Interviews: Week commencing 6th July (subject to change)

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

The National Youth Agency is an equal opportunities employer. 

At NYA our inclusive culture means that we embrace individual differences and understand that we need a diverse team to achieve our organisations mission.

We wish to recruit candidates from all backgrounds to ensure our team reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve. We encourage applications from anyone regardless of disability, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sexuality, religion, socio-economic background and political beliefs but we particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates and those from other minoritised ethnic groups in the UK as they are currently underrepresented in our team.

Please note: We use AI detector software, so applications or CV’s with high levels of AI generated content may be disregarded. We understand that AI tools can offer support to candidates who have learning differences, which is why we will accept applications with some AI assistance.

No agencies please.

We are confident in our identity as a Christian human rights organisation that works for freedom of religion or belief for all people, no matter what religion or belief they may hold. 

Our latest internal pulse survey illustrates that CSW is a great place to work: 100% of staff are proud to work for CSW; 100% say CSW allows them to make a positive difference, and while there is always room for improvement, we couldn’t be prouder of our efforts to curate a healthy culture at CSW where every individual feels valued and championed.

The Role

This is a rare opportunity to be on the front line of human rights research and advocacy, joining a specialist organisation with a long track record in promoting the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).

You will undertake research, investigations, monitoring, report-writing and advocacy on freedom of religion and human rights in Asia. You will develop a good relationship with stakeholders and ensure effective and creative ways to advance the research and advocacy on Asia.

Key responsibilities (full responsibilities listed in the application pack):

• To plan, organise and undertake research, monitoring and reporting on freedom of religion or belief and related human rights issues in the Asia region, through regular fact-finding assignments when and where security conditions allow, briefings with key stakeholders and the development of reliable in-country and external partnerships and collaboration.
• To produce materials, including general and thematic briefings and in-depth reports, documenting and analysing the situation of freedom of religion or belief and human rights in Asia, as well as advocacy recommendations.
• To develop and implement, with oversight from the Asia Team Leader, a practical, effective and innovative advocacy strategy for Asia, taking into account global geopolitics.
• To undertake awareness raising initiatives and advocacy focused on local (when possible), regional and international levels, and in consultation with the Asia Team Leader, work with CSW’s External Affairs Team to inform advocacy initiatives in the UK, EU, US, the United Nations, and with other governments and forums.
• To organise, as appropriate, advocacy visits for delegations in relation to the Asia region.

The Person

A committed Christian with a university degree and a strong commitment to human rights and justice, you will be fluent in written and spoken English and Chinese (Manderin), have excellent communication and organisational skills, and the ability to take the initiative and to work well under pressure.

Essential criteria (full criteria listed in the application pack):

· Knowledge and experience of the Asia region.

· Good understanding of the human rights situation in Asia.

· In-depth knowledge and experience of issues relating to freedom of religion or belief in the Asia region.

· Proven research skills, and good understanding of basic methodologies for human rights research.

· Excellent attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.

CSW Benefits

We offer flexible working, your birthday off, pension with 6% employer contribution.

Closing date for full applications: Noon (12pm GMT) Wednesday 10 June 2026.

Interviews: Shortlisted applicants will be invited for interview on Wednesday 17 June 2026 AM or Thursday 18 June 2026.  The interviews will take place online. 

This post falls within the definition of an Occupational Requirement as per the Equality Act 2010.